Published 4:07 pm, Saturday, September 1, 2012

There are plenty of reasons to feel sorry for the Trinity Catholic football program.

Small team, small numbers and that God-forsaken mud-strewn field that it plays its home games on because the Diocese won't give the school any money to fix it up on a level that is even close to the rest of the FCIAC.

Just don't feel sorry about the Crusaders when it comes to taking care of themselves.

They might be small in number, but - as always - they're big in spirit, heart and toughness.

Just ask the Fordham Prep football program.

The New York-based Rams and the Stamford-based Crusaders got together during the fourth and final rotation at New Canaan's preseason football jamboree on Saturday and, suffice to say, the two teams didn't go out for pizza after their meeting.

According to a source who was at the game, things got a little testy between the Crusaders and the Rams.

A couple of mini-brouhahas broke out before a "bigger skirmish" sent coaches scrambling to get in between players.

One Fordham Prep player reportedly threw a punch that didn't land, according to our source.

Trinity Catholic head coach Pete Stokes quickly got in between two of the players involved in one of the more heated exchanges and was knocked down to the ground.

He was not hurt and spoke with reporters after the incident.

The rest of the "controlled scrimmage" was promptly cancelled.

"It was a case of boys being boys," said the source. "They were tired, it was hot, it was the fourth team they had played. They didn't want to be out there, they wanted to be a pool somewhere."

At least the Crusaders have given a fair warning to their opponents this fall: They won't be pushed around.